Begin to write the grant request

A grant request should be personal, unemotional, and informative. The request should read as if the grant writer faced foundation people who already heard others ask for money. The writer should make something of the request that is unique to the nonprofit.

As the saying goes: easier said than done. Yet, it is easier if the opening documents set the correct tone. All grant requests start one of two ways. A letter of inquiry (LOI) or a cover letter. An LOI asks for the application with nothing following. The cover letter introduces the application’s documents.

While the application is important, the LOI or cover letter set the tone for everything else that follows. The LOI and cover letter introduces the nonprofit, the project to be funded, and the purpose for the submission.

The LOI must give more information to get the application by stating the nonprofit’s goals, objectives, and how they match with the foundation. There is not enough room for details. Summarize the summaries. The writer will edge toward stating the facts, but add a little sincerity.

A cover letter is like a handshake. All of the project information is in the following documents. Such as details about the project, a budget, and confidence the foundation’s money will be well spent. The cover letter is a welcoming and an opportunity to give details about the project’s successes that is not found in the application.

Some people may say a grant application is a matter of filling out forms. Of course, it is not that simple. It is a matter of understanding the reason a foundation would fund a project and explain this with unemotional sincerity. Spend some time on the LOI or cover letter and this could help lead to a better application.